Soaring Swallows Startle Dragons

The Return to the Origin Manual

Part 5 (24)

This move was marvelous and hard to predict, the thirteen-section Tiger Tail Whip snapping back in the middle, the tail whipping back unexpectedly. Qiu Yuan was nearly hit but managed to roll a few spans to the right and barely dodge the whip, but Qiu Yuan’s parry allowed Wen Gongtai to come up from behind, thrusting his green bamboo staff with Dot the Dragon’s Eye at Ye Hui’s “Life Gate” acupoint on the small of his back.

Windchaser Goose leapt to the side and Wen Gongtai’s staff hit nothing but air. He didn’t retract his move but turned his wrist and a green blur shot like lightning, forcing Ye Hui to do like Qiu Yuan and roll to the left.

By the time Ye Hui avoided Eight Armed Divine Codger’s two moves, Goose Among the Clouds Liao Kun’s hooksword was already attacking Wen Gongtai from behind, sweeping out with a cold light aimed at a crosswise swipe at his midsection.

Eight Armed Divine Codger didn’t turn to face him but used Crane Soaring in the Sky to leap up into the air and evade Liao Kun’s hooksword. He used his falling momentum to launch Tide Floods the South Seas, a fierce attack with his staff at Ye Hui.

Windchaser Goose shouted and snapped his Tiger Tail Whip back in a counterattack. The Two Geese of Diancang had now teamed up attacking Eight Armed Divine Codger, and instantly there was hooksword forcewind and a blurring whip, an aura of murderous intent filling the sky.

Master Wise Perfected saw the Return to the Origin manual on Ye Hui’s back and turned to Master One Yang and said, “Go get our Return to the Origin back.”

Master One Yang took a few steps forward, then stopped, an unsightly look on his face. Master Wise Perfected urged him again, “Hurry up! Maybe that manual has a secret formula for curing the snake venom.”

Master One Yang still hesitated, undecided. He couldn’t bear to break Junior Sister’s heart, nor could he go back on his word. He stood there not knowing what to do.

Greatmaster Clear Karma knew his difficulty and said in a low voice to Master Wise Perfected, “Your senior sectbrother gave *Return to the Origin to Qiu Yuan. He can’t very well snatch it back.”

Master Wise Perfected asked, “He gave that precious treasured manual to Qiu Yuan in exchange for extending my life another ten years?”

Greatmaster Clear Karma nodded. Tears gushed from Master Wise Perfected’s eyes. she said to herself, “If I hadn’t come to Mount Kuocang, perhaps he wouldn’t have lost Return to the Origin. Such a priceless rare book, one of the world’s secret treasures, just so I could live uselessly for another ten years. Wise Perfected, ah Wise Perfected! Your ten years of life cost too much.”

Master One Yang suddenly turned around and walked slowly over to her. Smiling, he said, “Even studying the manual and achieving transcendence would not be as good as you living another ten years…”

Master Wise Perfected slightly closed her starry eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. She softly chanted, “Chang’e must regret stealing the immortal drug, only the indigo see and azure sky to accompany her heart night after night.” She sat down still and quiet in the grass, smiling.

Eight Armed Divine Codger fought hard against the Two Geese of Diancang. After twenty moves he unleashed his 81-move Demon Subduing Staff, green bamboo staff powerful and unconstrained, becoming a mass of swirling, wheeling green. The Two Geese of Diancang were merely maintaining, struggling to endure it and avoid defeat.

In the midst of this fierce fight they suddenly heard a long laugh resound, and figures fluttered down from two cliffs, soon landing on the valley floor. Master One Yang took a good look at the arrivals. On the left was Li Canglan and the Four Uglies of Sichuan. On the right stood three people, the last one shouldering bluesteel sun & moon wheels. It was the Red Banner Altarman of the Heavenly Dragon Gang, Hundred-Step Flying Cymbals Qi Yuantong. The one in the middle had a swarthy face and a long shirtrobe and a nine-ring sabre on his back. A dart bag hung from his belt. It was the White Banner Altarman of the Heavenly Dragon Gang, Divine Mother & Son Balls Sheng Yiqing. The one on the left with the Three Powers rope hammer fastened around his waist was the Black Banner Altarman of the Heavenly Dragon Gang, Stele-Breaking Hands Cui Wenqi. These three were known near and far throughout the jianghu.

Li Canglan landed in the valley and used his dragonhead cane to knock away Eight Armed Divine Codger’s green bamboo staff and the Two Geese of Diancang’s hooksword and Tiger Tail Whip with Part the Waves, Split the Stream. With a laugh he said, “Would you three stop for a moment and listen to what I, Li Canglan, have to say?”

Wen Gongtai saw all the people gathered around and pulled back his bamboo staff. “Chief Li, if you have something to say, then I, Wen Gongtai, am all ears.”

Li Canglan first glanced at the Return to the Origin manual on Windchaser Goose Ye Hui’s back, then shifted his gaze to Master One Yang. “Dao Brother’s manual was stolen, but this old rotter drove the thief back here. I wonder how Dao Brother is prepared to handle this?”

Windchaser Goose Ye Hui’s face got hot hearing this. What happened was he snatched the manual out of Qiu Yuan’s hand and climbed up the cliff and was cut off by Li Canglan who was hiding and secretly using his perfected qi to cut off his retreat. Windchaser Goose ran back and forth across the peak but was forced back by a stream of forcewind at every turn and could not leave the more than ten-stave in circumference peak. He knew he was up against masters. His brief delay on the peak allowed Eight Armed Divine Codger time to get up there, followed closely by Goose Among the Clouds Liao Kun. Ye Hui and Wen Gongtai exchanged two moves, then Liao Kun joined in and Windchaser Goose got away and leapt back down the cliff because he knew that there was a person with incredible martial arts up on the peak that he could not get past, so it was better to back down into the secluded valley and follow the valley floor out.

Wen Gongtai and Liao Kun saw him do this and thought it strange, but Liao Kun had no time then to ask him about it, and Ye Hui had no time to explain.

Eight Armed Divine Codger saw Ye Hui go back down to the valley floor and he used his bamboo staff to knock away Goose Among the Clouds’s hooksword and give chase. He pursued Ye Hui and Liao Kun pursued him so that the three of them came back, where they found Master One Yang and the others who were puzzled. Now, Li Canglan laid the truth bare with one remark and everyone suddenly understood.

Master One Yang gave a cupped-fist salute. “Return to the Origin is no longer this humble Daoist’s. I gave it to Brother Qiu Yuan.”

Li Canglan said, :”Dao Brother is really generous, I really admire you.”

He turned to Qiu Yuan. “So then Brother Qiu had qualms about keeping the manual and gave it to The Two Geese of Diancang?”

Snakeman’s face heated. “How would I be as magnanimous as the abbot of Mystic Metropolis? I had it stole from me by a sudden vicious attack.”

Li Canglan laughed loudly. “In that case, everyone has started snatching it. The the Heavenly Dragon Gang shall join in the excitement!”

Wen Gongtai laughed and said, “Naturally everyone has the right to vie for the Return to the Origin manual, but there are some rules. Three of your honorable gang’s five banner altarmen are here, plus yourself and the Four Uglies of Sichuan makes eight people, the strongest force. The rules were set by Chief Li yourself, we all are complying with it.”

The Four Uglies of Sichuan’s faces sank when they heard Wen Gongtai refer to them by that nickname. They most hated when others called them the Four Uglies of Sichuan. Acquaintances all called them the Four Sworn Brothers of Sichuan. Now, if Chief Li were not here, they would have attacked Wen Gongtai.

Li Canglan smiled. “Brother Wen is right, but also the Heavenly Dragon Gang has more people here, not all of them will necessary fight, so please set your mind at ease on that point…”

Before Sky and Sea Elder finished, he suddenly saw Windchaser Goose Ye Hui jump up. Wen Gongtai was greatly anxious and was about to use his sublime lightness skill to cut him off when Li Canglan raised a hand and chopped down and a stream of forcewind swept out and Ye Hui cried out and fell out of the air.

Goose Among the Clouds Liao Kun ran over and helped his junior sectbrother up. He saw how deathly pale he was and frowned. Worried, he asked, “Try to circulate your qi, see if you’ve sustained any internal injuries.”

Windchaser Goose opened his mouth and spurted out a mouthful of blood. “I… am severely… injured…”

Liao Kun was sick at heart and tears fell down his face. He turned to Li Canglan. “Chief Li that was quite a palm strike. As long as the Three Geese of Diancang live we will never forget it.”

Sky and Sea Elder slightly wrinkled his white brows that hung over his eyes and took a golden pill from his robe. “Have your junior sectbrother swallow this first. As for you Three Geese of Diancang seeking vengeance, this old rotter will be in northern Guizhou waiting for you at any time.”

Goose Among the Clouds saw that his junior sectbrother’s injury was so grave he would probably not last a day. This was not the time to save face. He reached out and took the pill, but before he could put it in Ye Hui’s mouth, he suddenly felt Junior Brother’s right hand slacken from his shoulder as Windchaser Goose endured the pain and took the Return to the Origin manual from his back, shook himself free and opened the yellow silk and smashed the jade box with a chop. He raised raised the three thin volumes high up and threw his head back and laughed. Li Canglan and Wen Gongtai were greatly alarmed when they realized that Windchaser Good Ye Hui was going to destroy Return to the Origin and they happened to strike out at the same time. Sky and Sea Elder did not forget to attack his foe when he went to steal the treasure, his left hand swiftly shooting out like lightning to snatch the manual from Ye Hui’s hands while the dragonhead cane in his right hand stuck fiercely at Wen Gongtai.

Eight Armed Divine Codger’s green bamboo staff shot out crosswise to receive the cane and he felt a jolt in his right arm and his forward momentum was checked and he fell from the air. Li Canglan’s cane blocked Wen Gongtai, and his left hand grabbed Windchaser Goose’s right wrist.

Ye Hui fought like a cornered animal, left hand using force and the three volumes of the Return to the Origin manual were ripped open. Sky and Sea Elder was furious to see such a rare book ripped. His left wrist pressed harder and pushed and Windchaser Goose’s wrist snapped at once and he fell and fainted with a muffled groan.

Li Canglan struck so fast so that Goose Among the Clouds, standing beside his junior sectbrother, could not save him in time. By the time he drew his hooksword, Li Canglan had Ye Hui’s ripped Return to the Origin manual in hand, and his dragonhead cane swept backhanded and knocked Liao Kun’s weapon from his hand with a clang. Liao Kun felt his right arm go numb and the hooksword was flung two staves away. He knew his skill and power was no match for him and that continuing to fight would just bring him more trouble. He turned to his junior sectbrother, who had fainted, and he was heartbroken. He pounced to the ground, helped Ye Hui up, and helped set his broken bone.

Eight Armed Divine Codger was a mix of anxiety and rage at seeing Li Canglan snatch the Return to the Origin manual. He reached into his robe and pulled out a gold pellet and was about to unleash his superlative Finger-Snapping Golden Pellet skill when he suddenly heard an icy shout from behind. “The Finger-Snapping Golden Pellet is nothing to be awed over. How is it compared to my Flying Cymbals?”

Wen Gongtai turned to see Qi Yuantong with a brass cymbal like a full moon in his hand, waiting to loose his stored up energy. Divine Mother & Son Balls Shen Yiqing also gripped a pair of mother & son balls. The Flying Cymbals and Mother & Son Balls were hidden weapons famed throughout the jianghu, and they were mighty powerful. If he released his golden pellet then the flying cymbals and the mother & son balls would attack him at the same time. He had just received a strike from Li Canglan’s cane and knew he was no match for him, and now with three banner altarmen of the Heavenly Dragon Gang and the Four Uglies of Sichuan added in, it would be no different than throwing an egg against a rock, he’d be inviting his own death. He reconsidered and forced down the flames of fury raging in his heart and with a derisive laugh put the golden pellet back in the bag. There will be time later, once he gathers masterhands from the Mount Hua School. Then he can think of a way to steal back the Return to the Origin manual.

Eight Armed Divine Codger had just put the golden pellet away when Li Canglan suddenly laughed loudly and throw the ripped Return to the Origin at him and then slowly close in on Master One Yang and coldly ask, “No wonder you were so generous as to give the manual to someone else. You were already prepared, passing the fake off as the real. You were just sitting on the mountaintop and watching the tigers fight. That really was a brilliant plan!”

Master One Yang said angrily, “I haven’t even opened the Return to the Origin manual since I acquired it, how can you make slanderous accusations?”

Li Canglan laughed twice in derision. “With everybody watching, even if I wanted to switch the real one out and replace it with a fake one I wouldn’t be able to. Besides, there’s no need. The Heavenly Dragon Gang may be a clump of brushweeds in the jianghu, but we don’t think anything of the nine major orthodox schools of the martial world.”

Before Master One Yang could respond, Greatmaster Clear Karma interjected, “The abbot of Mystic Metropolis Abbey never lies. He really has not even flipped through Return to the Origin.”

Li Canglan was taken aback. “In that case, I have falsely accused you. The manual is now in Brother Wen’s hands. Everyone take a look, then you’ll understand.”